Julius kindee



(Model.)

J. KINDER.

v ORM./IEBVIALA CHAIN.. No. 303,293. Patented Ag. 12, 1884.

UNiTn'n STATES PATENT Orrick',

JULI-US KINDER, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR OF ONBHALF TO FREDERICK YV. GESSWElN, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y.

ORNAMENTAL cHAiN.

SPECIFICATION forming parbof Letters Patent No. 303,293, dated August 12, 1884.

Application filed February 510, 1884. (Model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern: f Be it known thatI, JULiUs KINDER, a subject oi' the 'Emperor of Germany, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvei ments in Ornamental Chains, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthe same.

The present ingentionrelates to that class of ornamental chain in which the form vof the links. and the peculiar manner of interlocking them together give the ornamental. appear ance to the chain. I5 The ordinary fox tail and round? chains found in the market, which are made up of unbroken links of a uniform diameter and thickness cnt from narrow strips of metal, have certain characteristics common to boththat is to say, the links are of the same shape and interlocked in a similar manner.l The particular Way in which the links areinterj locked of necessity result in forming a very compact and closely'huilt up structure, the center of which contains the ends of all the l links, making practically a solid chain, consnining a large quantity of metal and inclos.

ing a great portion of it Within its exterior, serving no ornamental purpose, and adding toits weight as well as to its cost. These chains, moreover, can only he varied in their ornamental appearance in the very slightest degree, which necessarily limits the demand for them. i

The object of this invention is, among other things, the production of a link formed of a single piece of metal for a chain of the class above described. The chain formed by using said link shali, in addition to the desirable qualities of the chains above named, consume a less quantity of metal in its manufacture and weigh less than .an equal. length of the aforesaid chains, and whose cost will, therefore, be correspondingly less; and, for a fun ther object, the production of a link formed of a single piece of metal, thecontonr of certain portions of which, on being varied, will enahle the making of as many different designs of chain as thc contour of said portions is va 5o -ried without materially changing the form of l the link.

To this end the invention consists in the production of a novel form of link that is provided with certain enlarged portions which form the distinguishing design of a chain made 5 5 thereof, and which is capable of taking any desired contour Without materially changing its forni, whereby the design of the chain may have many variations.

The invention also consists in anovel inode 6o of forming the links, whereby economy of niaterial andV certain other advantages are ob tained; and it further consists in the chain produced by this novel form of link, and .in the various processes by which the links are 65 formed into chain, all of Which will he here inafter fully set 'forth and claimed.

In the drawingsFigures l and 2 illustrate,

.by face View and cross-sectional elevation, the

result of the iirst operation of forming the im- 7o proved link. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate, by simi- Vlar views, the shape of said link when completed. Fig. 5 illustrates, by aside elevation, the way the ends of the completed link are bent preparatory to being formed into chain. 7 5

Fig. (i illustrates, hy side and end elevations, a

series of links formed into chain, and showing a link in position to be interlocked with the preceding one. Fi fr. 7 is an end View, looking from the top of the chain seen in Fig. 6, but So with the link C omitted; and Fig. S is a vertical cross-section on the line x a.' of Fig. 6. Figs. 9 to lli, inclusive, illustrate some ofthe forms ivhieh the ornainenting portions of the link may take. Fig. l5 is an end View similar to 85 that of Fig. 7, but showing a slight modification thereof. A

In carrying out my invention, Itake a thin strip of metal of uniform thickness provided with rounded edges and of awidth equal to 9o that of the incomplete link to he cut from it, and by suitable dies and punches eut up said strip of nietalinto links of the required length having the forni shown in Fig. 1,Wherein c are the side and c the end portions there- 95 of. rlhe links thus formed are then by suit able mechanism bent in such a manner that the side portions, c, will be distended outwardly, and each bent centrally, drawing the end portions, c, inwardly and in closer reroo lation with each other, the result of Which Will be that the side portions, c, will become the ends, and the end portions, c, the side or intermediate portions of the completed link, as is seen in Fig. 3. The object of thus forming the links is twofold-in utilizing the rounded edges of the metal strip by finally using the sides of the incomplete link as the ends ofthe completed one, and for the purpose of economizing material and making less waste,l it be" ing obvious that should the link be cut from the strip in its completed form much wider material would be necessary, the waste would be increased, and more complicated dies and punches be used in cutting it. These rounded ends area very desirable feature, and one that adds much to the finish of the chain, and gives the interlocked ends a light, open appearance. The portions c of the link are preferably made slightly larger on their face than the remaining portions, so that when made into chain they will form an even .continuous surface on opposite sides thereof, which may be highly polished, engraved, or otherwise treated, and from the fact of being largerwill tend to keep their ends farther apart and make a more. open and flexible chain, as will presently appear. These portions c, when the links are made into chain, aided to a certain extent by the latters flexibility, and from the tendency of the links, when the chain is presented in a curved or other form, to assume various angles, one to the other, will, by their peculiar contour, give a distinguishing design partaking of said contour to the chain. As represented in Figs. 1 to 8, these portions c are of angular contour forming a centrally-projecting point and an interior opening partaking of said contour,

. whereby as thelinks are interlocked andthese portions c are turned into position each portion will fit snugly against one similarly shaped on the adjacent link; and it is obvious, by changing the contour of -these portions, that any distinguishing design may be imparted to a chain without materially varying the shape of the link, its ends always remaining the same, so that the particular mode of interlocking the links will not have to be changed to suit the change in the contour of its portions c, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 9 to 14, inclusive.

Supposing, for the purposes of this description, that a length of chain has so far advanced in being formed that a series of links have been interlocked one with the other in succession, and that the uppermost link, o'r the one last interlocked, has had, among other things,

-its end portions, a, bent out straight, as seen in Fig. 6, and had its said ends spread open, as seen in Fig. 7, the mode of continuing the formation of the chain will be as follows: The ends of a link, as C, which have been given a preparatory bend, as in Fig. 5, are inserted through the distended ends of the uppermost link, B, so that the side portions, c, will overlie the center of said link. (See Fig. 6.) While the link C is in this position the ends a of the link B are bent upward and slightly inward until they lie pressed against the base of the end portions, c, of the link C in the same way as the ends of the links A. This accomplished, the ends a of thelink C are then bent out straight, and afterward spread or distended, as were the ends of the link B, to permit the easy insertion -through them of the ends of the next link. During this manipulation of the links B and C, but before the ends of the latter are distended, its portions c have remained in the same position as they were when the ends of the link were first inserted in those of the link B, but are now turned or bent downward at right angles to said position, so as to lie in the same plane' with and fit into and against the corresponding portions of the link B.l The ends of another link having the preparatory'bends, as seen in Fig. '5, are now inserted in the distended ends of the link C, and the various manipulations ofinterlocking it therewith in the manner Ajust'described will be repeated, and as many links may be similarly interlocked and bent into position asinay be required, it beingof course understood that in manufacturinglarge quantities of chaiii it may be made in long lengths and afterward severed into shorter lengths for use. v

A chain thus formed presents a continuous flat surface on opposite sides, formed by and carrying the distinguishing contours of the portions c and on its edges (or other two sides) an open wire-looking appearance made up of the interlocked ends a of the links 5 and, as before observed, this continuous flat surface may be treated in any manner deemed desirable, and may be pressed into various shapes by passing the completed chain between pairs of rollers provided with suitable forminggrooves-sueh, for instance, as would press the chain into the shape seen in the end view, Fig. 15, wherein the portions c, forming the continuous fiat surface on opposite sides of the chain, are pressed inward from the position shown in Fig. 7, so as to form a continuous depressed or sunken central portion extending 'lengthwise of the completed chain, and thus leaving its edges formed by the interlocked ends a standing oruprojecting out from said depressed surface, and of the open character described. By this operation on the cornpleted chain another effect is 'given to it without changing the form of the links or departing from the mode of interlocking them together previously described. This same result, however, may be accomplished in the forming of the link-and making up ofthe chain by simply bringing the bend 3, connecting the portions @with the end portions, a, of the link, down close to the point where the enlargement of the portions c begins, as seen in Fig. 14.

Still another way of modifying the style of the chain may be accomplished by forming the side portions, c, wide enough on their face, so that they will slightly overlie one an- IOO other, and thus form an uneven surface pai:- taking of the design given toit by the contour of the portions c.

The chain may be varied in Width by simpl;r increasing or lessening the Width of the side portions, c, in which case the strip from which the links are cut would necessarily have to be wider or narrower, as the case may be. A link of increased width is shown in Fig. 13, which also shows a further inodied form of the side portions, c.

'It may be found desirable in the nianufac ture of this improved chain to bend the portions c (which has been heretofore described as being done during the interlocking process) at' right angles to the portions a, while the link is in the sha-pe seen in Fig. 1; and in Fig. 16 I have shown a link thus bent, as well as by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4L, it being obvious that the bend might be made at the time found best suited for it.

What I claim is- 1. The herein-described improved link,con sisting of the ordinary portions, ct, and the enlarged portions c, the contour of which latter may be varied within Wide limits, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described method of forming links for ornamental chain, consisting of, iirst, cutting the link from astrip of metal; and, second, in bending said first-formed link into its completed shape for use, whereby the sides of the first become the ends of the second or completed link, substantially as described.

3. The hereinfdescribed method of forming links for ornamental chain, consisting, first, in cutting the link from a strip of metal having rounded edges; and, second, in bending said first-formed link into its completed shape for use, whereby the rounded sides of the irst become the rounded ends of the second or coin` pleted link, substantially as described.

et. The hereindescribed improved chain, consisting of the broad surfaces formed by the portions c of each link, and the interlocked ends formed by the portions a of each link, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' J. KINDER.

lVitnesses: i

F. XV. GnssWnIN, REUBEN W. Ross. 

